Misty's Poliwhirl

Numbered 53 of 132 in Gym Heroes, released in August 2000, Misty's Poliwhirl is an Uncommon, a Stage 1 Water-type carrying 70 HP.

It evolves from Misty's Poliwag, so Misty's Poliwhirl is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.

Misty is the Water-type Gym Leader of Cerulean City and one of Ash's earliest traveling companions. Misty's Poliwhirl is part of that themed lineup.

Illustrated by Ken Sugimori. Sugimori is the lead character designer of Pokémon itself, so his card art carries the tight, on-model look that defined how the creatures appear in the games.

The middle Poliwag stage. Now bipedal with arms but retained spiral belly. Notably the card on the cover of the original Game Boy Pokémon manual. Mid-stage demand.

Misty's Poliwhirl is an Uncommon, so raw copies are inexpensive and easy to find. The value is in condition: a genuine PSA 10, especially 1st Edition, can still reach a surprising figure for an otherwise common card. The live price above breaks it down by grade.

Gym Heroes shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The trainer-prefix naming runs across the set, and the 1st Edition Misty's Poliwhirl carries the Edition 1 stamp and a premium over Unlimited in matching grade.

Misty's Poliwhirl grades forgivingly, but the same centering and edge standards apply. Pack-fresh raw copies are easy to find, which makes a clean PSA 10 submission a low-cost way to learn how the cardstock behaves under grading.

Raw copies of Misty's Poliwhirl are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Misty's Poliwhirl is the practical move.